PAX: the event keynote

Wil Wheaton's introductory keynote at PAX was a roaring success, as he …

In contrast to we've seen so far today, the Main Theater was ready and waiting for the masses. Thousands upon thousands of chairs lined the otherwise barren forum, which filled with the mechanized (though strangely rhythmic) drudge of the crowd. I made it in early, as the entire section I was in had yet to be filled, but it wasn't long before the crowd quickly poured in behind me. I quickly summoned my laptop and began to get prepared, only to be caught off-guard by one of the Ars forum dwellers, who promptly earned himself a Sumo.

After a brief wait for the rest of the room to fill, the show began. The first celebrity to make an appearance? None other than Ball. First one, then two. Then three, and four. Hails of "ball" filled the auditorium, followed thusly by "All Hail Mrs. Ball!" With the introductory ball-yhoo over, the lights grew dark, the room illuminated only by the two giant screens.

A voice began speaking, "Hello, Lazlow?" The voice of everyone’s favorite talk show host filled the room, booming with the humor so tied to his personality. Wil Wheaton begged Lazlow to introduce the show to the fans. "PAX? That’s the religious TV network that runs the 700 Club right?” was his response, quickly followed by an executed suggestion for intro music a la Depeche Mode, followed by something Lord of the Rings-ish. Red light filled the stage, and Wheaton appeared: a god among gamers, an icon, a legend. A geek.

"Jack Thompson can suck my balls."

Like the leader of a cult, Wheaton began.

Wheaton introduced the show with a story about his history. "I own every Atari game ever released; right here on this USB key." Listing references to popular and cult games, he drew ear-shattering applause with each successive reference, from Gauntlet to Mario to Counter-Strike. He continued to run through his speech, chronicling how he became a gamer, reminiscing about and calling for a resurgence of the arcade days, while contrasting it against the current social realms of WoW and Xbox Live, all the while addressing the common bonds shared by those attending.

And gaming, Wheaton proposes, is best when shared with others. Be it in the glow of the arcade, the sofa in front of the TV with an NES and a second controller, or any other way, gaming is as much as social activity as it is a source of entertainment. Both we as gamers and the outsiders like Thompson, Clinton, and more who "lecture us" about the potential evil of video games, shouldn't forget that, said Wheaton. "Games are more than the simplistic blood baths that the media paints," Wheaton argued. "And they should be treated that way. Gaming is about bonding."

Wheaton's speech certainly set the stage for the event. From the early moments of the show, I found myself overwhelmed with the mass of people. But now, with Wheaton’s speech banding together the like-minded attendees of the show, the faces in the crowd are not those of strangers, but rather brethren: each one of them, like myself, is a gamer, and PAX has brought us together to share the true value of gaming. What better introduction for a show could there be? Judging from the standing ovation, there isn't one.